Protected
by celadonserpent
Summary: Gin and Rangiku turn back the hands of time to become the parents they should have been the first time around.
1. Chapter 1

**Protected**

「まもられた」

A _Bleach _Fan-fiction

**Summary:** Gin and Rangiku turn back the hands of time to become the parents they should have been the first time around.

**Genre:** Family

**Characters:** Ichimaru Gin, Matsumoto Rangiku, Hitsugaya Toushirou

* * *

People, Gin decided, had a very strange way of protecting the ones they loved. Take Shihouin Yoruichi, for example. To protect Urahara Kisuke, she betrayed everything she had been born to. To protect Soi Fon, she had kept the other girl in ignorance. But at least in those cases, the two being protected had ended up, well, alive, in the end.

Other people had ways of protecting that caused the ones being protected to be dead.

Take Ukitake Jyuushirou, for example. The man had professed to protecting Shiba Kaien by allowing him to go on a suicide mission.

If that wasn't screwed up logic, Gin didn't know what was.

Of course, he, too, was guilty of protecting the one he cared for in strange ways. He had left Soul Society without saying a word to Rangiku because he hadn't wanted her to be involved in the treachery, just in case their plans didn't work out. He had thought that at best, if they won, he could make sure Rangiku was safe. At worst, they would be executed as traitors and Rangiku would still be alive. Of course, the ones being protected could never fully appreciate what lengths others went through to protect them.

The first time he had talked to Rangiku after his leaving Soul Society, she had given him a black eye.

It hadn't been entirely unexpected. Rangiku was just like that. That didn't mean he wasn't caught surprised, though. The woman could really pack a punch.

It wasn't until years later, when Aizen had finally decided on giving up on the rogue Shinigami that had escaped his grasp, that Gin found out Rangiku had just as twisted a system of protecting as he did.

He had been a father and had never known it.

He hadn't known how to react when he had found out. He supposed it was a moot point. The kid was dead, after all. It didn't affect anything any more. 'Course, it helped to explain a lot of things. Like why Ran-chan loved teasing the little captain so much.

Actually, no. Rangiku was just like that.

In a way, finding out had really changed nothing. He and Rangiku still acted the same way. Of course, now he understood why she would sometimes get that faraway look in her eyes, and now, sometimes, he would feel a dull ache of something that could not be lost because it had never really been his in the first place.

He almost wished the kid was still alive. It would have been hilarious to see his reaction.

Then again, maybe that was why Rangiku had never told him. The kid would probably have given himself a heart attack. Related to that snake-faced bastard? Never!

Gin laughed.

He had wondered why, though. At the time, both he and Rangiku were already Shinigami. Either one of them could have afforded to take care of the child easily. At first, he had thought Rangiku might have been trying to protect his name, but that couldn't be it. Neither of them really cared what others thought of them. Then he thought that maybe the child had been broken. But that couldn't be true either, as Rangiku had so cheerfully pointed out.

_"Gin, that kid achieved everything you achieved in half the time you achieved it."_

So the child hadn't been defective.

The reason she gave him had been blunt and simple.

_"Neither of us were ready to have a kid, Gin. So I asked my captain for help, hid for nine months, gave birth, and gave him away. Simple as pie."_

Except it hadn't been that simple. Oh, he knew that she was right. Neither had been ready to take care of a child at the time. The kid would have grown up with some serious issues. But he knew it must have been hard for Rangiku to give him up. She wasn't like him. She couldn't simply leave someone, and never look back.

And he was right.

She had gone back to check on the kid several times. It sounded very much like her, sneaking around, spying on people. She had probably thought of it as a sort of game. Until she saw someone picking on her little bundle of snow.

It had been kind of funny listening to Rangiku reminisce of her first real meeting with her child. How he had shouted back at her with the same spirit she had. How he had had the same raw power as his other parent. He had turned out all right.

Gin wondered if that, perhaps, hadn't been the best way of protecting someone that he knew. The kid had grown up healthy--no mental trauma, thank you very much--and strong. It was all any parent could wish for a child.

But maybe if the kid had known, he wouldn't have sacrificed his life to protect Rangiku's. It was terrible for a parent to have to bury their own child. Then again, the kid would probably have done the same thing, even if he had known. He was just like that.

He wondered if Rangiku was pulling his leg. The kid sure didn't act in any way similar to either of his parents. Maybe all that nurture verses nature stuff was for real? He didn't remember Rangiku or himself ever being quite that goody-two-shoe.

Maybe it was because the kid was already dead, but Gin found that to be just a little endearing. Ugh. Maybe not. Just thinking about it made him want to make fun of himself.

Rangiku hadn't been the same, though. And it wasn't just because Aizen had won against Soul Society, and was now close to opening the gate to the King's realm. He would like to think that his supposed betrayal of her had led to her current state, but she would just hit him and say that he was flattering himself. Rangiku wasn't so weak that she wouldn't bounce right back from something like that. It had been why he had decided to leave her behind.

He could tell that she regretted her decision, even if she never said so. Maybe she had been right. They hadn't been ready. But that didn't change the fact that she had wanted to take care of him. She had wanted to so badly...

And because he was an idiot (not that he would ever admit that to anyone but Ran-chan), and because he was an idiot who loved her, he wanted the same thing she did. Maybe they really hadn't been ready all those years ago, but they sure were ready now.

Gin's smirk widened. Ha! Imagine that. The two flightiest people in the thirteen divisions, deciding that they were ready to have a real family. It made him want to laugh out loud.

But it also made him wish a tiny bit that it could be real.

He didn't know if the years had mellowed him or not, but now he wished that he had married Ran-chan all those years ago. Imagine where he would be today. Actually, he didn't see himself taking all that different a path. But still.

It wasn't...regret, exactly. It was just a sort of bittersweet feeling, bordering on nostalgia. One of those "if only" moments.

Maybe he was having a mid-life crisis?

Whatever it was, it was a feeling strong enough that if he had a second chance to make a different decision, he had no doubt that he would take it.

* * *

Aizen had only been a few days away from opening the gate to the King's realm when the rogue Shinigami attacked. Not that he was too worried. Aizen could handle himself. All he had to do was "watch" the prisoners.

He watched Rangiku finger the clasp that the tenth captain had used to secure his sword on his back. She was staring out the window again, not really seeing anything. The sound of distant explosions reached them, but neither of them appeared affected by it. He could hear Abarai and Kira in the room behind him, shouting at him to let them out and to fight them like a man. It had been funny the first time Abarai and his meek mannered vice captain had shouted it, but now, it was just getting a teensy bit annoying.

Another explosion, this time closer.

"Is playing with that little clasp really so fun?" he asked. She turned towards him, smirking.

"See for yourself." She tossed the shiny piece of metal at him, and he caught it deftly. It really wasn't all that interesting. Rather ordinary and boring. Just like the owner. He sighed. If he had been there as a guiding light...

His finger brushed against a weird indentation on the back. He squinted his eyes further, trying to see what it was. It seemed as if it was some kind of switch.

"Ran-chan, do you have something tiny and sharp?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, not all that shocked at his strange comments any more. Rummaging through a purse that she had procured from who knew where, she gave him a bobby pin. He stuck the pin into the notch, and the whole clasp opened.

"What the...?" she said as she leaned closer towards him. He placed everything on the table between them.

There was some sort of weird sundial-looking thing hidden inside the clasp. He turned the contraption around, trying to figure out what it was for. Rangiku used the pin to poke out a piece of paper stuck on the inside of the clasp.

"It's a note," she said rather obviously as she rolled it open.

_If you ever get amnesia, this is just to tell you that this is my invention. That would mean that it's yours as well. Don't take it out of its hiding place. Use only in emergencies. Spiral. Zodiac. You should know what that means._

He and Rangiku stared at each other for a few moments before they both burst out laughing. The kid was some sort of freak.

" 'If you ever get amnesia'?" Rangiku laughed. "I knew he always prepared for eventualities, but to this extent...!" She continued laughing loud enough to even silence Abarai and Kira next door.

"Seemed like he was fond of puzzles as well," Gin remarked, trying to figure out what exactly the gadget did. " 'Spiral'? 'Zodiac'?"

"Well, my little Taichou was a genius, you know," Rangiku said playfully. Gin's eyes slitted open in surprise as he recognized the symbols carved around the dial.

"Well, well. He'd have to be to pull this off," Gin said, impressed despite himself. Rangiku cocked her head in question. He gave her one of his infamous grins. "If my guess is correct, this little baby can rewind time." She gave him a look of disbelief.

"No way. No way Toushirou would ever invent something as rule breaking as that."

Gin shrugged. "Well, he didn't use it, did he? So he didn't break any rules."

Rangiku scoffed.

"And just how do you know he didn't use it?" she questioned. He put the device in her hand, letting her feel the minute amount of spiritual force flowing through it.

"I'm guessing that if he did use it, this device would go bye-bye." He gave her another grin. "And I'm pretty sure that the li'l tenth captain didn't get amnesia any time during his life, so he wouldn't have any reason to open the clasp once he closed it."

"That's assuming that he only made one," Rangiku said seriously. He shrugged again.

"If he did, how are we supposed to know?" He gestured for her to give the gadget back to him, and she did. "In any case, think of what fun we could have with this!" Rangiku grinned in response.

"Now, now. I'm sure Hitsugaya-taichou would not appreciate you using his 'emergency' device for such trivial things," Rangiku teased. Gin pretended to look thoughtful.

"That's true. We could probably only use it once," he mused, actually contemplating the possibilities semi-seriously. Toushirou really was a goody-two-shoe if he never used such a remarkable device. The sad thing was, Gin was fairly sure that the kid genius really never used it. If he had, he wouldn't have let Hinamori get injured like she had. Heck, the kid could have stopped Aizen in his tracks. The kid really adhered to the rules too strictly. He needed to be taught differently.

He looked up at Rangiku and their eyes met. Somehow, both knew what the other was thinking.

"Gin..." she said slowly, "are you sure?" He gave her a grin.

"Well, things have been getting a bit boring around here, what with Aizen about to become God and all," he joked. A half smile formed on her face, but he could tell that she was being serious this time. He didn't know. He didn't know if he was sure. He just knew of the possibilities.

"Ran-chan," he said, sounding serious, for once. "Are _you_ sure?" She frowned, crossing her arms and looking away. He waited patiently for her, the distant sound of explosions like a far away dream. In this moment, there was only him and her.

Finally, she spoke.

"I want to be able to hold my baby," she said, barely a whisper. "I want to watch him grow up, even if he never gets higher than my breasts," she said, humor infusing her words despite the seriousness. She turned towards him, her grey eyes alight with gentle affection. "And I want you to be by my side all the way."

For a moment, Gin almost forgot his customary grin. But damn, he was such a sap.

"Am I to consider this a form of proposal?" he joked. Rangiku batted him playfully.

"Answer seriously now," she teased, but he could hear the underlying, "or else."

"Well, in that case, 'I do'."

She laughed, shaking her head.

"So how far shall we go back?" he asked. "Before or after he's born?"

"Ugh, after," she said immediately. "Pregnancy is one hell I don't need to go through again."

"So when?" he asked, trying not to laugh, and not quite able to imagine her a mother.

"December 21. You know the year."

He did.

He wound the dial to the correct year, month, and date. He reached his hand towards Rangiku.

"Just in case this thing needs contact in order for us to retain our memories," he said, winding the dial to the hour of their arrival. Hour of the Dragon should do. Seven to Nine in the morning was surely too early for even Rangiku to be out shopping.

"You ready?"

She took a deep breath, then nodded. He placed the dial between them, careful not to let the hand on the dial start moving.

"Here goes nothing then."

He released the hand. It spun wildly, and scenes and sensations flashed by him too quickly to comprehend. He could feel Rangiku hold his hand tightly, unwilling to let him go. He was surprised. He had half expected it not to work.

Then suddenly, Rangiku's hand was jerked from his grasp. Time spun even more capriciously, and before he even had a chance to yell, he slammed into something and everything became dark.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I was inspired to write this story from Neko Oni's crack-fic _Onsen 3_, and then from a scene from Enchantable's _Toro Nagashi_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Protected**

「まもられた」

A _Bleach _Fan-fiction

**Summary: **Gin and Rangiku turn back the hands of time to become the parents they should have been the first time around.

**Genre: **Family

**Characters: **Ichimaru Gin, Matsumoto Rangiku, Hitsugaya Toushirou

* * *

Rangiku woke up with a jolt, her hand grasping at thin air for Gin. Her breathing was short and erratic, and she tried desperately to calm herself down as she looked around the dark room. Was she in prison again? But that was impossible.

As she managed to calm herself down, she noticed a small bundle next to her. Squinting through the darkness, she saw a familiar fuzz of white hair that she hadn't seen in over half a century. She swallowed her gasp, gently lifting the child into her arms. The baby squirmed, but remained asleep.

"Oh my god," she breathed, hugging the child close to her. "Gin... It worked. It really worked."

Silence greeted her in the small room, and for a moment, she wondered where that lazy bastard was. Looking around the room, though, allowed decades old memories to resurface in her mind. She was in a house on the outskirts of Rukongai. It was where she had hidden herself when she had found out about her pregnancy.

She got up, rocking the child with one arm while she used the other to open the curtain. Light streamed in, and the baby wiggled as he began to wake up. Rangiku watched with bated breath as his eyes opened, revealing the sea-green beneath.

And then he smiled.

It was all Rangiku could do to not squeal and break the poor kid's eardrums. Instead, she settled for grinning broadly. She probably looked like an idiot, but who cared?

She sat back down on the futon, leaning against the wall. Her little boy's eyes followed her every movement, bright and inquisitive. God, he was so cute. She didn't know how she was able to give him up last time.

"You're staying with me this time, Shiro-chan," she said, tapping his nose. He giggled, one hand fisting around her hair. Then he pulled. Hard.

"Shi--ow," she said, bending her head closer while trying to remove her hair--gently!--from his grasp. "Aren't you a strong one?" He laughed, and she couldn't help but smile in response. Maybe she should get her hair cut.

But, first things first. She needed to find Gin.

She wondered where he was. If she had appeared where she originally was, then she had to assume that the same thing had happened to Gin. That probably meant he was back in Seireitei. Should she go get him? But what if he hadn't made it? What if he didn't remember? What if he changed his mind?

Well, the last one was easily solvable. She would just give him another black eye.

She got up, moving a bit stiffly. There was no time like the present, she always thought. Time to make Gin a daddy.

She smirked. Oh, how she'd love to see him change the baby's diapers.

* * *

When he had woken up and found Rangiku missing, he hadn't been worried, per se. Maybe just a teeny, tiny bit concerned. After all, he had been the one holding the gizmo. Not Rangiku. It was possible that the thing hadn't worked on her. That didn't mean he was just going to kick back and do nothing, though. So the first thing he had done was march right over to the Seventh Division offices and demand a meeting with the captain.

Komamura was more annoying than he remembered.

The Seventh Division Captain had spoken in that grave, serious tone of his, slightly muffled by the upside down wastebasket on his head. Gin had forgotten about that little accessory. To make a long story short, Komamura refused to tell him where Rangiku was. Then he had the gall to sort of, not really, insinuate that he thought Gin terribly irresponsible for leaving a poor, expecting mother all alone in the cruel world.

What a bastard! Well, he'd show him.

'Course, cursing him (whether outside or inside his mind--it didn't really matter) didn't really help him learn Rangiku's location, so he had taken it upon himself to search for any possible places she could be. New mothers were supposed to be all achy and tired, right? So they shouldn't be moving all that much, right?

When he finally met Rangiku, he had to dodge another one of her punches.

"Where the hell were you?"

Gin found that her hissing, trying-to-be-quiet voice was way scarier than her outright yelling voice.

He scratched his head.

"Looking for you?" he said truthfully, though her accusing tone made his response sound more guilty and unsure than it was supposed to be.

"Oh, really?" she asked, tapping her foot. It was a good thing she was holding the baby, because if she wasn't, Gin suspected that she would use her other arm to give him an uppercut.

"It's not my fault," he said, more defensively than he would have liked. "Komamura wouldn't tell me anything." She cocked an eyebrow at him, the corner of her lips twitching with amusement. Finally, she couldn't take it any more, and started to laugh.

"Good ol' Komamura-taichou," she said, a bit too fondly if anyone asked Gin. "You can always count on him." He would have said something uncomplimentary, except there were children present.

"Oh, quit pouting, Gin, and come here," she said, gesturing with her free arm. He frowned a little. He was not pouting.

That didn't stop him from walking over to her and looking at the baby with a head of white fuzz. The baby blinked at him, blue-green eyes wide and way too innocent. He bet the baby was just planning something evil.

"Want to hold him?"

Gin couldn't quite mask his look of undiluted horror. Rangiku just laughed and dumped the kid on him. The baby was weird, fat, spineless, and was he supposed to hold the head that way? Oh shit, oh shit--

"Aw, look. He likes you," Rangiku cooed.

And sure enough, the baby was smiling at him.

For some inexplicable and irrational reason, he felt extremely proud. It wasn't like he had been the one to give birth or anything, but seeing the kid smile at him had made him feel as if that had been his greatest accomplishment.

'Course, maybe that wasn't really a smile. Maybe that was just the natural way a baby's face was contorted. Something the baby couldn't control. Like a burp or a fart or something.

Rangiku laughed. Gin narrowed his eyes suspiciously. She couldn't read his mind, could she?

"You're an idiot, Gin," she said, taking the baby back. The baby giggled as her hair tickled his nose. "So, what do you want to do now?"

"I'm not going to become a house-husband, if that's what you're asking," he replied, grin back in place. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Seriously, Gin."

He shrugged.

"What do you want to do?" he asked instead. Rangiku looked thoughtful, walking over to his desk and sitting in his chair without permission.

"I don't really want to quit work, but I don't want to leave him alone, either," she thought out loud. Gin suddenly got a brilliant idea.

"Hey, why don't I ask Komamura-taichou to transfer you to the Fifth Division?" he suggested. "I'm sure Aizen-taichou wouldn't mind, and I'll even do all that hated paperwork of yours. Hey, if half of what you said about the little tenth captain was true, then in a few years, junior here will be able to help out as well!"

Rangiku frowned and laughed out loud in turns.

"But if I take a seated position there, then Kira, Renji and Hinamori...," she said hesitantly. Gin resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her.

"Rangiku. They're not even in the academy yet."

"Oh!" she said, her attitude undergoing a one-hundred-eighty degree change. "In that case, okay." She stood up from the chair and marched out of the door. Gin stood there for a moment, his mind not quite catching up to her.

"Coming?" she asked, craning her neck to face him. He followed immediately after her. Damn, Rangiku was fast.

It was why he liked her so much.

* * *

That woman was evil.

In the short distance that spanned his office to Komamura's, she had somehow gotten everyone in Seireitei to know that she was back and with his baby. Ukitake had patted his back and gotten all emotional, way too happy to see another baby born in Soul Society, while Kyouraku had sighed and lamented that another drinking partner was disappearing on him. What the...? Just because he was a father now, didn't mean he was going to stop partying.

Was he?

Even that stuck up prick Byakuya had come and congratulated him, and smiled--smiled!--at him. After Byakuya had left, he had had to check over himself to make sure that Senbonzakura hadn't stabbed through him without him noticing. Rangiku had just smirked and rolled her eyes at him.

But perhaps the scariest one had been Kenpachi. The big man had just stood there, staring down, not saying a word. Gin hadn't been sure if he should have given his usual double entendre, or grabbed the baby and start running. Then Kenpachi had grinned, slapped him on the back and said, "Congrats. Can't wait for him to grow up."

He wondered if he could get Aizen to bump up the betrayal date. It would be suspicious for Kenpachi to mysteriously disappear otherwise.

Ah, Aizen. He had come and congratulated him like everyone else, while holding a vaguely puzzled expression. He knew that expression. In Aizen-speak, it meant, "What the hell are you doing?" Ho ho ho. Maybe he'd move the whole family to Hueco Mundo, when the time came. He'd have to ask Rangiku first.

When they finally reached Komamura's office, he could just feel that the whole of Seireitei was buzzing with news about them. It was fun being the center of attention. He should have made Rangiku bust out the baby a long time ago.

"Ichimaru-fukutaichou. Matsumoto," the big man (fox?) greeted. He still had that wastebasket on his head. How did his snout fit in that thing? "What can I do for you today?"

"Captain, I would like to request a transfer to the Fifth Division," Rangiku said, her authoritative voice a huge contrast to the maternal portrait she was painting. Gin nodded in agreement, slipping his arms into his sleeves and relaxing. He'd let Ran-chan handle all this.

She stomped on his foot rather indiscreetly when he remained silent.

"Er, yeah," Gin said, trying to discreetly rub his foot. "A transfer would be nice." Komamura clasped his hands in front of him, watching them in silence.

"I must first say, 'congratulations,'" he said. Gin waited for the ball to drop. "Although I have to say, I'm a little surprised."

Rangiku looked slightly puzzled by the statement.

"Nevertheless, I'm very proud of your decision. Both of you."

Gin gave Rangiku a confused look, but she just shrugged in return. Komamura reached into a drawer and pulled out a form. It was a recommendation for promotion form.

"Taichou," Rangiku gasped in surprise. "That's..."

"No need for such humility," Komamura interjected, brushing aside her protestations. "I have known for quite some time that you have already achieved your shikai. Just think of this as an overdue promotion. Besides," Gin could just hear the big captain smiling, "you deserve it."

Rangiku smiled her thanks, standing up proudly and slightly straighter. Gin crossed his arms inside his sleeves. What was the big deal, anyway? They both already knew she was capable of being a vice captain. If she had wanted a promotion, he could have given her one as well.

"I'll recommend you for the third seat of the Fifth Division, but we'll have to wait and hear from Yamamoto-soutaichou for the final word," Komamura said, folding the form and placing it into an envelop to be delivered. "Was there anything else I could do for you? Either of you?" Gin opened his mouth to speak, but Rangiku beat him to it.

"No, Taichou. Thank you for everything." She gave a slight bow and the baby giggled, a small hand brushing her face. Komamura gave a slight shake of his head, demurring her words.

"So, if I may ask, when is the wedding?"

Gin and Rangiku gave him dumbfounded looks. Komamura shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and Gin was worried that the chair would break under the strain.

"I'm sorry," Komamura said, awkward in embarrassment. "I had assumed you hadn't... Ah, please excuse my error."

"Oh, no, no, no!" Rangiku said fervently, shaking her head. "Don't apologize! We aren't married!" She gave Gin a sideways glance. "Yet." She smirked. Gin had a sudden sense of forboding.

"Ah, well, congratulations," Komamura said once more.

"Thank you very much." Rangiku smiled warmly at her soon-to-be ex-captain. She turned to exit the office. "Come along, Gin," she said coyly.

He had a vague, sinking feeling that he wasn't going to be the one wearing the pants in the family.


	3. Chapter 3

**Protected**

「まもられた」

A _Bleach _Fan-fiction

**Summary: **Gin and Rangiku turn back the hands of time to become the parents they should have been the first time around.

**Genre: **Family

**Characters: **Ichimaru Gin, Matsumoto Rangiku, Hitsugaya Toushirou

* * *

They had their first fight as a married couple a few seconds after they were married.

Rangiku hadn't wanted a big wedding. She was afraid of leaving the baby alone for too long. She had also reasoned that since they were both orphans, they really didn't have anyone to stand in as their family, and it was too much hassle to ask others to do it.

"And besides," she had said, tossing her hair behind her as the baby made to grab it again, "anyone who matters already knows we're together, so who cares?" Gin couldn't agree more with her. What he did disagree with was their surname.

"No, I'm not going to become Ichimaru Rangiku," she said stubbornly. "It'll look ugly with my name."

"Well, I'm not going to become Matsumoto Gin," he said, refusing to budge. "That's just plain weird." They glared bull-headedly at each other.

"Why don't you both just keep your surnames?" the person behind the desk said, the smile on her face just a little bit strained.

"That's...actually a pretty good idea," Rangiku said, coming around to the suggestion. He had to admit, it wasn't half bad.

And that was how their first argument ended in peace. Their second argument started a moment later.

"It should be 'Matsumoto Toushirou.' I'm the one who gave birth. I should have the right to name him."

"Ran-chan, that's hardly fair," he protested. "He's my boy as much as yours. Just because you're equipped to handle the details, doesn't make him less mine. Look," he said, gesturing to the baby's hair, "we even have the same color hair. If anything, we should call him 'Ichimaru Toushirou.'" Rangiku laughed rather obnoxiously.

" 'Ichimaru Toushirou'?" she asked incredulously. "Oh, please. He'd kill himself as soon as he's old enough to understand."

"Better than 'Matsumoto Toushirou.'"

"What's wrong with 'Matsumoto Toushirou'?" she asked defensively.

"Why don't the two of you come up with another, different last name for the child?" That girl was folding her hands so hard, it looked like she was about to break something. Or someone.

"Another last name, huh?" Rangiku mused. Oh, no. He was not agreeing to this idea. He could already see it. The kid, running home crying, sniffling because some kids at school had teased him.

_"Mom," sniffle, "am I adopted?"_

Rangiku would bend down, all comforting-like and say, "Oh, no, honey. Of course not."

_"Then why do I have a different last name than you and Dad?"_

Then they'd have to spend the next hour reassuring him that no, he wasn't adopted, the other kids didn't know what they were talking about, and yes, they loved him very much. He didn't think he could take all that drama.

"That's a great idea!" Rangiku took the brush, ready to write down the kid's official name.

"Hold on a minute!" Gin snatched the form away. "I'd rather have 'Matsumoto Toushirou' than anything else."

"Don't be a baby, Gin," Rangiku said, snatching the paper back. "This is for the best. Can you just imagine the confusion if someone called 'Ichimaru-taichou' and both of you turned your heads? No, having a different name would be best for all of us." Rangiku quickly wrote the name down, and before Gin could rip the paper up, the girl behind the desk grabbed the paper and quickly filed it away. Gin narrowed his eyes at her.

"All done!" she said, her voice abnormally high and cheerful. "Congratulations. Now if I may move on to the next people in line...?" Gin looked behind him.

"There's no one else in line," Gin remarked. The girl's smile cracked just a little.

"Please leave."

They left the girl behind and headed towards their new quarters. Yamamoto was pretty generous when it came to children.

"What? Yamamoto's pretty stingy," Rangiku complained, making a face at their new home. "How's a growing family supposed to live in these conditions?" Gin looked around the house. A kitchen, one bathroom, three rooms, one living room, one dining room. They even had a little garden. It seemed pretty big to him.

"Yeah," Rangiku snorted when he told her so, "maybe for a bachelor pad. You can tell the old man has never raised a family in his life." Well, neither had Rangiku, but he wasn't about to press that point. She tutted as she inspected the house. "We're going to have to baby-proof everything."

"Baby...proof?"

"Oh, honestly, Gin," Rangiku said in exasperation. "You don't want the baby to fall and hit his head, do you? These traditional type houses have too many corners and are too elevated. Just imagine if he fell out into the garden."

"I could tell Aizen about Rukia having the Hougyoku, and we can all move to Hueco Mundo," Gin mused. "Big halls, few corners. Hey, we can even build our own house!"

"No." Rangiku shot the idea down ruthlessly. Gin frowned a little.

"Why not?"

Rangiku rolled her eyes at him.

"Think about the neighborhood, Gin. I don't want my baby growing up around Arrancars."

She had a point. Besides, he didn't want Kaname influencing his boy's mind. That man was deluded.

"I guess we're staying here for a while, then?" Gin asked.

"Of course," Rangiku answered as if it were obvious. "Free housing, free medical care, school nearby. What more do you want?" Nothing more, apparently, because she started walking into the rooms and babbling about how to arrange their as yet nonexistent furniture, giving him no chance to respond.

* * *

He sat in the room, arms crossed as he stared at the baby lying in the middle of blankets on top of the tatami. Rangiku had gone out to shop for food, and he was stuck with the babysitting. So far, it hadn't been that interesting.

He moved a little closer, poking the baby. The baby squirmed, looking at him curiously. Gin sighed.

"Are you as bored as I am?"

The baby made a noise that sounded vaguely like an affirmation. Then he twitched, as if he wanted to move but couldn't.

"Hmm? Tired of being on your back?" Gin rolled the baby over, and the baby started giggling. Gin could feel himself beginning to grin. "Oh ho! You like that, huh?" He rolled the baby over again, and the baby started to laugh in earnest. He continued to roll the baby and the baby continued to laugh.

The door to their quarters opened and Rangiku walked in, loaded with groceries as she complained about someone or other over-charging her. He could hear her putting things away in the kitchen, continuing on her tirade. She then entered the living room and just stopped and stared. Rangiku gave him an unreadable look as he continued to roll the baby around.

"What, may I ask, are you doing?"

The baby gave a squeal of laughter. Rangiku marched over and scooped the baby up into her arms.

"Are you trying to give him brain damage?" she hissed, eyes narrowed in anger.

"But Ran-chan," he protested, standing up. "He likes it."

"Oh!" She made an indignant cry of frustration. She stormed away to the baby's room, closing the door forcefully behind her. He scratched his head in confusion.

What was he supposed to do now?

* * *

He sat in the privacy of Aizen's room, enjoying his cup of sake. It was such a pity that Rangiku prohibited any sort of alcoholic product in the house. Sake was such a nice relaxant.

Aizen didn't look relaxed at all.

"Does she know?" Aizen asked, abandoning all traces of false pleasantry. Gin shrugged.

"There are no secrets between a husband and wife," he said dutifully. Aizen narrowed his eyes at him. Gin sighed, sounding very put-upon. "Yeah, she knows, but don't worry about it." Aizen looked angry. "She's not going to tell anyone. Doesn't really give a damn about it, either way." Gin smirked a little.

Aizen had a mighty dangerous look in his eyes. Gin rubbed his chin.

"Oh! There is one thing that she requests though," Gin remarked casually. His captain reigned in his temper with difficulty.

"What is it?" It almost sounded like the nice guy Aizen. Gin was impressed.

"Nothing big. She just asks that we don't make our move until the baby is a bit older. Don't want him to have bad influences, after all." Aizen looked conflicted, struggling between anger and amusement.

The amusement won out.

"Oh? And what if I find the Hougyoku tomorrow?" he asked, his more natural half magnanimous, half calculating expression on his face.

"Hmm... I guess I'll have to commute then."

Aizen laughed out loud.

"So, what's the child's name?" Aizen asked, his good humor restored.

"Hitsugaya Toushirou," Gin said, his usual grin dimming a little. Aizen raised an eyebrow at him.

"A rather...weighty name, isn't it?" he asked mildly.

"Hey, it wasn't my idea. It was Ran-chan's," Gin said defensively. Aizen smiled in amusement.

"Neither of you could decide on which surname to use, correct?"

Gin fidgeted around shiftily.

"What makes you say that?"

Aizen smiled again, thoroughly amused at Gin's expense. "It's all over Seireitei by now. You've married yourself to quite a tiger. Am I correct in assuming that she was the one who proposed to you?"

There was half a beat of silence before Gin replied, "No."

"Oh, really?" Aizen asked, a smirk making its way onto his face. "How...unexpected."

"Psh," Gin scoffed, "You make it sound like she's got me whipped."

Aizen gave him a pointed look in reply.

"What? That's a lie!" Gin protested. Aizen laughed once more. The clock in the room struck nine and chimed. Aizen swirled the sake around in his cup before sipping it.

"Shouldn't you be heading home about now? The missus will not be pleased." Gin could just hear the underlying laughter in the deceptively mild tones. Gin wanted to sit and contest the point, but it _was_ nine o'clock, and he hadn't exactly told Rangiku he was leaving, and he had kind of left while she was still angry, and if he didn't go back now, something horrible was very likely to happen to him.

Gin got up.

Aizen coughed. It sounded suspiciously like "whipped." Gin narrowed his eyes at him.

"Ah, well, good night then, Vice Captain Ichimaru," Aizen said, falling conveniently into his role.

"Good night, Captain of the Fifth Division," Gin returned, injecting more venom than was strictly necessary. Aizen's eyes crinkled in amusement again, and Gin left before his captain could laugh at him once more.

* * *

Babies were annoying.

Don't get him wrong, now. It wasn't like he didn't like his son or anything. It was just that, well, they were just a tiny bit too noisy for him.

Rangiku cooed at the baby, making the baby laugh.

Or maybe it was Rangiku who was too noisy. He didn't understand why she had to be here. She, of all people, should have jumped at the chance to not set foot in the office, and yet, here she was, insisting that she do her portion of the work. Honestly, he probably would have been able to get more done without her here distracting him.

"Ran-chan, why don't you go home and play with him?" Gin asked, doing an excellent job of concealing his annoyance. A whole morning of baby-talk was driving him up the wall. That and trying to read Yachiru's reports. Who was the genius that made her vice captain? And people wondered why Aizen wanted to change Soul Society.

"Now, Gin, I'm trying to set a good example for the baby," Rangiku said, continuing to make weird faces at the baby while occasionally calculating the division's finances. He would probably have to work overtime again to correct all her mistakes. "Don't you know that a baby's personality is completely developed by the time they're three? If we don't start shaping him up, he might turn into a delinquent!"

"I really doubt someone like the tenth captain could ever become a delinquent," Gin muttered, re-reading that report for the third time. He frowned. Wasn't this supposed to go to the Eleventh Division? Kenpachi, that bastard. Trying to shove his work off onto him. He had forgotten that Kenpachi had had a habit of rotating his paperwork among different divisions until Toushirou showed up. Actually, after Toushirou showed up, Gin had dumped some of his more boring reports onto the kid as well. Of course, he wasn't dumb like Kenpachi, who left the header "Eleventh Division" on the reports. Nope. Gin was clever, and added an extra line to the number so that it read "Twelfth Division." He had figured the kid wouldn't dare go against a creep like Kurotsuchi. Heh heh heh. Damn, he was smart.

'Course, that didn't quite explain why the kid had always given _him_ dirty looks and not Kurotsuchi.

"I need a break," Rangiku said suddenly. The chair squeaked against the floor as she stood up. "Take care of Shiro-chan while I step outside for a moment."

"What? But Ran-chan, I'm working," he protested as she walked over to his desk and dumped the kid onto his arms.

"Oh, come on. It's just for a moment," she said, hands on her hips. "Besides, Shiro-chan isn't that big. You _can_ hold him with one arm and still work, can't you?"

"What? Of course I can!" How dare she even insinuate...

"Good!" She clapped her hands, smiling. "I'll be back in just a moment."

"Wait!"

She was gone.

He looked at the baby in his arms. The baby blinked back at him. Now that Rangiku was gone, he really should take the opportunity and get back to work, but... His slender finger moved in the vicinity of the baby's hand of their own accord, and the baby grabbed it instinctively. The baby made a delighted noise, and Gin couldn't help but give him one of his real smiles.

"I guess you're not that noisy when Ran-chan isn't here," he remarked, and the baby scrunched up his face as if in distaste. Gin felt his smile broaden. It was weird to think that he was responsible for this life. Sure, he had taken care of Ran-chan when they were younger, but one couldn't really be responsible for Rangiku. It felt...different from anything else he had ever experienced before. Weighty, but not in an entirely bad way.

He shifted the baby so that he was held more snugly against him. The baby curled into him, blinking sleepily, and Gin found himself instinctively rocking the baby to sleep, watching the bright blue-green eyes close. His expression softened just a little.

He didn't notice Rangiku just outside the door, smiling gently as she watched.


	4. Chapter 4

**Protected**

「まもられた」

A _Bleach _Fan-fiction

**Summary: **Gin and Rangiku turn back the hands of time to become the parents they should have been the first time around.

**Genre: **Family

**Characters: **Ichimaru Gin, Matsumoto Rangiku, Hitsugaya Toushirou

* * *

Kuchiki Byakuya was one of the few people that she had really never gotten to know very well. Whereas others had occasionally gone out to drink, or just to relax, Kuchiki Byakuya had preferred to simply work and then go home. She doubted that even Rukia knew her brother very well.

It was one of the reasons why she felt distinctly uncomfortable leaving Toushirou in his care while she went to take care of business with Gin and Aizen. She and Gin had been visiting Byakuya (leave it to Gin to have friends in strange places) when a member of the Fifth Division came to tell them that Aizen needed their immediate assistance with some high ranking hollows. There had been no way she was carrying a baby onto the battlefield, and she didn't have time to run back and find someone to baby-sit Toushirou. Gin had suggested for Byakuya to watch the baby, and when Hisana had appeared, looking absolutely delighted with the idea, Byakuya had agreed.

That didn't mean that she wasn't worried, though. She had no doubt that Byakuya was quite a responsible person, and he would probably have made a good father had Hisana lived longer, but still, this was her baby they were talking about.

"Remember, he can crawl now, so you'll have to watch him," she said worriedly. "Oh, and take this bag. Everything you'll need is in here. If he starts making gurgling noises, it usually means he's hungry. Oh! And if he starts crying, you'll probably have to change--"

"Ran-chan! We have to go," Gin insisted, tugging at her. "Besides, say any more and you might scare them off."

"Don't worry, Ichimaru-fukutaichou," Hisana smiled, holding Toushirou carefully in her arms. "It'll take more than that to scare Byakuya and I off."

"You see? Let's go," Gin said, heading off towards Aizen's direction without waiting for her. She hovered near Toushirou for a moment before giving him a quick peck on the forehead. Duty called, and while she was a mother, she was also a Shinigami.

* * *

Shiba Kaien had simply dropped by the Kuchiki residence to pester the younger man into joining the Gotei Thirteen again when he saw Byakuya and Hisana playing with the now rather well known baby, Hitsugaya Toushirou. He had immediately made a beeline towards the couple, grinning as he saw the usual pretending-to-be stoic Byakuya, smiling a little as the baby tried to put anything he could grab into his mouth, while Hisana ran after him, trying to get him to stop.

"So, this is Shiro-chan, hm?" Kaien asked rhetorically. "How did you get Rangiku and Gin to let go of him?"

"Something came up, and they had no choice," Byakuya answered, reaching out to keep the baby from chewing the rather expensive cushion while Hisana was putting away anything she deemed hazardous.

"Ah, it'd have to be like that," Kaien chuckled, sitting down on the tatami and watching the baby try to climb up the alcove, Byakuya almost running there to keep him from knocking the entire shelf and all its contents over. "Sometimes, I wonder if Gin wasn't the one who gave birth. That man refuses to let anyone near the baby when Rangiku isn't there to stop him."

"He's just worried about his son," Hisana said kindly.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Byakuya snorted rather inelegantly. "I'm pretty sure he dropped by today just so he could use that baby to get one up on me." Kaien laughed raucously, while Hisana laughed more quietly.

"That's because he's proud of Toushirou, and he wants the whole world to see it," Hisana said, quickly shifting the low table away to keep it from hitting the baby's head.

"He's pretty energetic isn't he?" Kaien asked, as the baby crawled about some more, inspecting everything he could see. "Must be hell for Rangiku and Gin."

"I don't know if it is for them, but it certainly is for me," Byakuya muttered as he moved the table into the hallway while Hisana took away any breakables. The baby took the opportunity to escape from his captors and crawled towards the ledge, almost taking a nosedive into the garden. Kaien grabbed the baby before anything could happen.

"You better stop making things difficult for Uncle Byakuya, otherwise your daddy will come and blood will be spilled," Kaien joked, settling the baby into his lap. The baby looked up at him with large, blue-green eyes. The child made a babbling noise and tried to grab his nose.

"Whoa, easy on the goods there. I'll lose my credibility as Vice Captain if I lose my nose to you." Hm. The little tyke was kind of cute. Maybe he should ask Miyako if she wanted one.

The baby decided that he was too boring, and crawled out of his lap, kicking his real goods as he left. Byakuya burst out laughing as Kaien doubled over.

"We'll see how far your credibility can stand when I tell the others about this little incident," Byakuya laughed, his wife trying very hard not to show her amusement for Kaien's sake. Kaien was in no position to make a comment, being unable to move, even as the baby started petting his hair like some overgrown dog.

And that was the reason why the Great House of Shiba fell from the prestige of the noble houses.

* * *

Rangiku had barely gotten home and into the kitchen to prepare for dinner when Gin waltzed in.

"Ran-chan," he said in a sing-song voice, "I think you better check on junior. This one's a doozy," he chortled. Rangiku looked vaguely annoyed at his amusement.

"You go this time," she said, turning the fire on. "Goodness knows you have to start some time."

"What?" Gin asked, flabbergasted. He inched his way into the living room, the baby sitting there, looking very uncomfortable.

"But, Ran-chan, it's so...big. And smelly," he whined, refusing to take one step closer to the demon child. He bet the kid had done it just to spite him.

"Don't make me come in there!" Rangiku yelled from the next room. He was very tempted to make her come in here, but then, he had never really thought that death suited all that well with him. Besides, it was just one, tiny, miniscule, insignificant little diaper, right? It was so tiny, it might as well not exist.

"Don't you dare ignore him, Gin!" she warned without even looking at him. He took a deep breath and held it. Every parent went through this, right?

But, argh... It was sick. He felt new respect blooming for Rangiku. Oh, yuck.

A few hours later, he was sitting in his study, trying to get the hearing back in his ears. Rangiku hadn't needed to shout that loudly in his ears. How was he supposed to know if he had been doing it wrong? It had been his first time, yeesh. If she didn't like the way he'd done it, she should have done it herself in the first place.

The door to the room slid open. He looked up, and saw no one. Then he looked down and saw the familiar white fuzz. Gin crossed his arms, and wanted to huff and turn away, but he was afraid of the baby hurting himself, so he settled for staring at him instead. The baby looked way too happy to see him, and proceeded to crawl over to him.

"Oi, oi. Watcha doin'?" Gin asked, watching the child progress slowly but surely towards him. Finally, the child grabbed his knee for support and looked up.

"Dada," the baby said, pointing up at him. He giggled as Gin's mouth dropped open.

"Wha--?"

The baby laughed again. He had to tell Rangiku. Their baby had just spoken his first word! He made to get up, but the baby crawled into his lap, and Gin froze in his movements. He didn't want to get up and accidentally knock the kid off, breaking his brains or anything. He settled back into his seat as the kid looked inquisitively over his table. A small, chubby hand pointed to his brush.

"That's a brush. It's a writing utensil," Gin said, feeling compelled to explain it. The kid looked up at him when he spoke, the white fuzz tickling his chest. The kid pointed to another object. "That's paperwork. It's Mommy's bane of existence." The kid laughed, as if he understood what Gin was saying. Gin got an idea.

"Hey, why don't you try to fill out this form for me?" he asked, pulling out a blank form and a brush, placing them in front of the kid. "You're supposed to be a genius, right?" The kid grabbed the brush and slammed it hard onto the paper. Oh, well. He had never liked that brush anyway. It had been a gift from Byakuya.

He moved the paper and the brush onto the floor next to him, lifting the baby out of his lap and placing him gently next to the paper.

"Now play here while 'dada' gets some work done," he said, turning back to his desk. The kid just crawled back into his lap, grinning at him. Gin grinned back, ruffling the fuzzball's hair a little. "Okay. But no disturbing me, got it?" The kid giggled, stuffing his hand into his mouth. Then they both turned back towards the sheets of boredom, and Gin started his work again.

When Rangiku finally entered the room, the kid had already fallen asleep.

"Hey, he drooled all over the form."

Gin looked up from the report he had been reading in his hands, and looked down at the table.

"Oh. Don't worry. That one's going to Kaname, anyway."

Rangiku's mouth twitched with amusement, even as she bent down to gently lift the baby from his lap.

"He said his first word today."

Rangiku cocked an eyebrow in surprise.

"What was it?"

" 'Dada,'" Gin said proudly.

"What? Why not 'Mama'?" Rangiku pretended to pout, but she couldn't quite keep the delighted, proud light from her eyes.

"He likes me better."

Rangiku rolled her eyes at him.

"And here I am, slaving away all the time, changing his diapers for him," she complained.

"He likes my method better."

Rangiku laughed quietly.

"Gin, your method would require us to run after the baby and clean up the mess whenever he decided to go."

"Ran-chan, you're a girl, so you wouldn't understand," Gin said, amusement crinkling his eyes. Rangiku just smiled, shaking her head slightly in exasperation.

"Well, I'll leave you to your lovely work now," she said a little deviously. She bent over and kissed him lightly, before shifting the baby in her arms and walking out of the room. Gin turned back to his desk, moving the sopping form onto the floor next to him. Maybe being blind rendered your sense of smell dull as well?

* * *

**Author's note: **Thanks to all the wonderful people who reviewed, and to those that even deemed this story worthy enough to be favorited! As always, comments, criticisms, and suggestions are very welcome.


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